Rena

I didn't want my question to get buried in the religion post and I don't know if you check your private messages, so I'm asking here! Just curious, knowing you are an Athiest, I'm curious...what do you tell your kids about what happens when a person dies?

I tell my son there is a heaven, etc...I'm not even sure if I say that because that's what I believe or if it's because I'm too chickenshit to flat out say, "Well son, you are going to be disappointed. When you die you rot in the ground and the worms eat you." lol.

He was asking all kinds of probing questions about Jesus, God, and Heaven and I was answering all of them the best I could. He goes, "That sounds nice mom, but when you think about it, it really doesn't make any sense."

Lol.

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<3

Mommy to theSuNShiNeof my life,ANDto my little CHeRRy On ToP, born on January 24th 2012!

Comments (162)

But see I never believed that being raised a Muslim. So that part of religion wasn't hard for me to grasp not being real when I became an adult and starting thinking on my own and no longer being persuaded by my parents' beliefs.

Vamtrllm, that's something I worry about. Anytime I do something that seems like it could potentially be viewed as bad, such as the things you mentioned above, I feel like a terrible person. I don't like feeling "bullied" (I'm not sure if that is the best word to use, but it's what I'm going with). I often wonder if I would be different if I wasn't so scared of making a mistake. Do you all ever wonder what our purpose on earth is as a whole? Like if we are just going to live and die, what is the point that we are serving? And do you ever wonder why we are the only beings that can feel/think/etc. like we do?

I said I had a million questions! I've never had anyone to ask them to, so this seemed like a perfect time! I hope you all don't mind. I would like to think there is a purpose for being here. Or maybe the purpose is just to be a good person.

I believe that we are fundamentaly animals. Our purpose is to propogate our species...simple as that. The fact that we have evolved into these higher functioning beings is moot...to me.

Our brains want to get everything figured out. So we want a "purpose" and "reason" to explain everything. I don't neccessarily think there is one.

Why are we the only beings that think/feel like we do?

I don't think that we are. Yes - we are on earth. I think as vast as the universe is chances are that there is life SOMEWHERE else - but it will be genereations and generations before we have the technology to find out if we are right. No human can live long enough now to travel those kinds of distances, and until we can travel faster than light - we are kind of stuck.

I do not think aliens are here. I think thats silly. I think it would be pretty freaking obvious is other beings have contacted us or landed here.

I also believe in the "many worlds" theory of physics. That there are infinite parellel universes and every possible thing that could ever happen has happened. And will happen. So there are some universes where I do believe in god. There are some where aliens are here. There are some where the ants rule all and we servie them. There are some where humans don't exist.

*ETA - man. I wish I was better at articulating my point. This seems terribly inadequate and makes it sound like I wear tin-foil hats and talk to UFOs. I promise I don't. But there is quite a bit I can't explain myself...so its hard to get across*

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"Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness."

I love these kinds of discussions, Bailey! I like when they stay respectful.

I don't pretend to have all the answers. I don't think that anyone does. My views are what they are because they are what make me the most comfortable.

I have also kind of considered myself a secular humanist. Which is being a good person for the sake of people....but they have all gone a litte far for me - they want to be seen as a "religion" and I don't understand that. The tenants it was founded on I really like - but its getting more....bureaucratic? Too organized? I don't know.

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"Wicked people never have time for reading. It's one of the reasons for their wickedness."

I believe our "purpose" is just to exist, to be honest. I think we make life grand and wonderful, but at the end of the day we are still just existing. But, I'm okay with that. I'm okay with my own personal universe that consists of myself, my family, my wants, needs, and thoughts. It works for me.

As far as the only animals that can think/feel/learn, etc. I think it's been proven time and again that we really aren't the only animals with that capability. And, really it was only the luck of the evolutionary draw that we had to be smarter than our larger predators.